Trump’s press conference on Feb. 16 was a skillful sideshow that allowed him to determine the headlines on the next day’s papers and the rest of the day’s TV news coverage.
Sadly, most of the major media fell into the trap.
The real news from that conference is that he said nothing of importance, and tried to blame others for the chaos in his administration, be that Barack Obama or the news media.
What he didn’t say:
- He takes responsibility
- He has a solid plan to settling things down
The news media isn’t trusted by a majority of Americans. This is especially true for people who identify as Republicans, and I would speculate media distrust is even higher among Trump’s most loyal supporters.
And when coverage focuses on Trump’s attitude toward the news media, it runs the risk of appearing self important. Maybe it even is. I don’t much care what Trump thinks of the media, but the media clearly does.
By spouting allegations of “fake news” whenever he is criticized, Trump is able to draw attention where he wants it. The news media need to stop falling for this subterfuge.
UPDATE: Here’s a good analysis of the situation.